Although advanced prostate cancer is a medical problem that can be solved, it is better to undergo treatment in a modern hospital, in a country with advanced medicine, such as Germany. Even if cancer becomes castration-resistant and a patient no longer responds to chemotherapy, there are still options for effective treatment. For example, you can undergo PSMA therapy in Germany. The specialists of the Booking Health company explain what PSMA therapy is and why it is a real opportunity to make cancer recede even after the development of distant metastases.
What is PSMA therapy?
At the advanced stage, cancer is considered disseminated, that is, a tumor has spread throughout the body. In such cases, it makes no sense to fight the tumor in a single location, because tumors in other areas of the body will grow and destroy the patient’s body.
Patients need treatment methods that act on all cancer foci simultaneously. Therefore, doctors use hormone therapy and chemotherapy at the advanced stages of prostate cancer, while immunotherapy and targeted therapy are less common. If these methods fail, they switch to targeted radionuclide therapy.
The essence of the method is that a radiopharmaceutical is administered, which finds and destroys cancer cells. How is this possible? Why does a drug destroy cancer but not normal tissues? This is because the drug is aimed at a molecular target, namely prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA). This protein is present in cancer cells but almost absent in normal cells. Therefore, the injected drug attaches to PSMA, accumulates in tumor foci, and destroys them with radiation.
A radiopharmaceutical consists of two components: a PSMA-targeting ligand and a radioactive substance attached to it. This is usually Lutetium for prostate cancer, which provides excellent therapeutic results. Lutetium in medicine proved itself well due to a short but powerful beta radiation. It extends to one millimeter, so it does not damage healthy tissues in the area of its accumulation.
What is the process of treatment?
Lutetium-177 therapy takes four days. On the first day, a person is examined, including a PSMA-PET scan, if this is the first course of cancer treatment. Doctors check where the tumors are located, how big they are, and whether cancer cells can take up a radiopharmaceutical. Doctors additionally conduct tests to assess a person’s health condition.
The drug is then administered intravenously. A patient also receives infusion therapy to protect the kidneys. His salivary glands are cooled to avoid dry mouth, the most common side effect of PSMA therapy. After administering the drug, a person must spend three more nights at the hospital, and on the fourth day, he will be discharged after the radioactive substance is removed from his body.
Treatment results
After the first injection of the drug with Lutetium, tumors decrease in size. Repeated injections are possible at intervals of 8 weeks.
Most patients respond to therapy. A partial response reduces all tumor foci by more than 30%. Some men achieve a complete response to treatment, which is the disappearance of all tumor foci. The cases of long-term remission after Lutetium treatment have already been recorded. Perhaps for some patients, this means a complete cure for cancer, even though they were diagnosed with the advanced stage at the time of treatment start.
You are welcome to use the Booking Health service to undergo prostate cancer treatment in one of the best clinics in Germany. On the company’s website, you can find the cost of Lutetium treatment, compare prices and book a medical program at the best price. The cost of medical services for you will be lowered due to the exclusion of additional fees for foreign patients. The Booking Health specialists will help you to choose a clinic with extensive experience in targeted radionuclide therapy for prostate cancer and organize your trip.
